NY Jets: Scouting the Cleveland Browns ahead of Week 16 matchup

The NY Jets are set to face off against the Cleveland Browns this Sunday.

It’s all coming to an end, soon. The NY Jets will arrive at their final home game this Sunday as they play host to the 10-win Cleveland Browns.

The Jets, coming off their first win of the season against the Los Angeles Rams this past Sunday, will look to add to that total as they line up across a Browns team that has been hot as of late.

Not much is at stake for the one win Jets as they try and fend off Baker Mayfield and the red-hot Browns. Quarterback Sam Darnold is coming off his best game of the season as he was able to efficiently lead the Jets to a victory over a solid Rams team.

With Darnold being the do-it-all on offense, the defense was the real storyline of the game. Forcing Jared Goff in off-tempo situations and allowing him to hit his underneath targets without giving him any leeway over top is a way to slow down such a daunting offense.

With Bryce Hall able to secure the first interception of his young career, and Quinnen Williams continuing his second-year dominance, the Jets defense were the ones to force the Rams’ hand.

It won’t be as easy come Sunday, though, as the Jets face a team that has high aspirations heading into the back-end of their schedule in the Browns.

The Browns have been able to put together a very solid season, in fact, a season that could’ve mirrored the Jets’ if everything had worked out, three years ago.

The NY Jets and Cleveland Browns were in a similar situation three years ago.

Sitting on the board at No. 3 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Jets had a choice to make, pick one of the three highly touted quarterbacks still available on the board.

The Jets, as many now figure, picked USC standout quarterback Sam Darnold. The Browns, who held the first selection in the draft, selected Heisman winning quarterback Baker Mayfield out of Oklahoma.

Oh, how things would’ve changed if the Browns would’ve gone with the consensus No. 1 overall pick for the majority of the 2018 offseason rather than Mayfield, who had his questions coming out of college as a former walk-on.

The Browns took a chance, a chance that pops up every-so-often that is deemed rather risky by numerous draft scouts and evaluators who do this for a living, a chance that’s worth taking. By the looks of things, they got it right.

The Jets will be facing Baker Mayfield and the Browns for what will be only the second time since 2018. Here are the notable injuries for the Jets this week.

Cronerback Javelin Guidry is listed as doubtful with a knee injury, as he hasn’t practiced all week, expect him to be inactive come game day. Wide receiver Jeff Smith, who has been limited all week with a shoulder injury, is listed as questionable, expect him to be active for this week’s matchup.

It surely won’t be easy to fight off the Browns with the amount of firepower they currently employ on both sides of the football, but as many fans saw this past week, any team can beat anyone on any given week.

Score Prediction: Browns 24, NY Jets 14